


Put Back What You Stole...

by BayLeaf420



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Cheating, Comfort, Depression, F/F, I don't know how long this is gonna be ???, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, M/M, OC, One Night Stands, Original Character For Plot Purposes - Freeform, Rehabilitation, RobberAU!, Robbery, Self-Harm, Shit parents cause yeah, Strangers to Lovers, We love a mentally stable friend, Yamaguchi poppin off
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2021-02-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:54:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,937
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28154196
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BayLeaf420/pseuds/BayLeaf420
Summary: Yamaguchi is going through a nasty break up... so what happens when you're will to live is low and you run across a handsome man committing a crime? Well You stop him, of course.
Relationships: ???, Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kuroo Tetsurou/Tsukishima Kei, Kuroo Tetsurou/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Sawamura Daichi/Sugawara Koushi, Shimizu Kiyoko/Yachi Hitoka, Terushima Yuuji/Yamaguchi Tadashi, Yamaguchi Tadashi/Original Character(s)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 73





	1. Maple Cookies

**Author's Note:**

> Yo! This is my first work, so criticisms are welcome! I really love the idea of Yamaguchi just losing it and everyone realizing that he is not okay. So yeah.
> 
> Let us commence with the work!!!

Sitting on the steps of the rundown bakery, Yamaguchi ate his sweet maple cookies. He realized that he was gonna have to go home soon, as it was getting to cold to sit outside. Tsukki really had picked the worst time to get caught, choosing three days before Christmas to do said act. He new that Yamaguchi's parents were expecting Tsukki to join in Christmas dinner because they hadn't made to break-up public yet. Or, at least Yamaguchi hadn't.

He and Tsukki had a falling out after he found a tie that quite obviously didn't belong to either of them. Tsukki didn't wear ties and Yamaguchi wore like two. Both of which were neatly folded in their shared dresser. However, Yamaguchi wasn't insane. He wasn't gonna accuse his boyfriend of three years of cheating because of a simple little tie. But, he did store he information in the back of his brain. And the next time that information popped up was when he saw their good friend Kuroo wearing the exact same tie at their anniversary dinner. Once again, Yamaguchi excused this, thinking they must have hung out in the bedroom and Kuroo had taken it off or Tsukki picked it up by mistake. There relationship was taking a rough turn because Tsukki was picking up more shifts at the law firm he worked. To the point where he was picking up night shifts... okay.

Yamaguchi was a patient person though. He tried not to make assumptions. He desperately tried. But finally, the thing that broke the ice was Akkashi and Bokuto meeting him for dinner and telling them that as they arrived to the park where they were meeting Tsukki and Kuroo for lunch, they found the two sweetly kissing under the tree that Yamaguchi confessed under. In that moment, he felt his arms tingle. He felt that need again. Neither of the two that were in front of him noticed that he started to scratch he old scars on his wrist. He started quietly crying as Akkashi slipped into his seat to hug him gently. The scratching got more aggressive and he could feel the panic attack coming on. Akkashi, who shared his quarrels of anxiety, saw the symptoms and motioned Bokuto to help get him out of the restaurant. Long story short, he had a panic attack in a dingy ally while his friends helped him. 

After the visit to the restaurant, he new he needed to confront Tsukki about the cheating. And who better to hype him up then his wonderful friend Oikawa, king of all confrontations. The only issue was that the second he got the words "He cheated on me," out, he could hear Iwaizumi yelling to "Put the shoe back on." On second thought, he should not have told Oikawa. After making Oikawa swear not to tell anyone, he contacted the person who would help him in a way that wouldn't burn at least eight bridges.

He sat down in the dining room chair of the quaint house, racking his nerves up in order to tell Suga about the whole situation. He asked that Daichi be there cause if Suga got angry, he could be worse then Oikawa. So in reality, he was asking Diachi to help him.

"So what's going on that you had to tell us three days before Christmas," Suga teased, pouring tea into beautiful little cups. "You're not here to ask about gifts, are you?" Diachi questioned with a smile.

"Unfortunately, I'm not here to talk about pleasant things," Yamaguchi said looking down. Suga's face darkened immediately. "What's wrong?" Daichi asked trying to get to the root of the problem.

"A couple of days ago, Akkashi and Bokuto approached me and told me that they saw Tsukki kissing Kuroo before they were to meet up," Yamaguchi said fiddling with his hands underneath the table. Yamaguchi could almost feel the room drop temperature. He looked up to see Diachi's face shift to stone. Suddenly, instead of the room being cold, it became scolding by Suga

"Excuse me?" Suga said gently putting the tea pot down. Oh boy, here we go. "Suga, please think rationally about this!" Yamaguchi said getting panicked.

"Are you still living with him?" Diachi questions, silently grabbing Suga's hand. 

"I haven't told him I know," Yamaguchi said, preparing for a tidal wave of anger. This time, both Daichi and Suga tensed, Diachi gripping the table and Suga clenching his fist.

"Please, I'm trying not to completely destroy my relationship with Kuroo, and I don't think Tsukki was telling him the truth," Yamaguchi said in a pleading tone.

Much to everyone's surprise, Yamaguchi and Kuroo got along really well. They had a close relationship with each other thanks to Tsukki. They often talked to each other about chemistry and physics due to Yamaguchi's boredom in the school library. He found that physics and biology were quite fascinating, so they often rambled to each other. Yamaguchi didn't want to kick Kuroo to the curb simply because of Tsukki's mistakes. 

"Do you know that Kuroo is innocent in all this?" Diachi asked with an edge in his voice. "You tell me Diachi," Yamaguchi said with a bite.

"He's right," Suga said clenching his teeth. Suga new very well that taking the fall for other peoples mistakes could destroy a person.

"How do I tell him? Where do I go? Do I kick him out?' Yamaguchi rambled. He felt a warm hand on his back. 

"How bout we figure out telling him first," Diachi said rubbing his back. "Plus, you can always stay with us," Suga said regaining his composure.

"Thank you," Yamaguchi said closing his eyes.  
\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Soon enough, he was back in his apartment, making crepes. They were defiantly the food that he turned to when he was hurting. He didn't like savory crepes though. He liked them with lemon and powdered sugar. One of the best combos for comfort food. He continued to cook up the batter, until he herd the door open.  
'Whelp, let's do this...' he thought, frying the last crepe.

"Tsukki, you want to sit down for breakfast?" he asked, trying to imitate the calm before the storm.

"Sure," he said, taking off his shoes. Placing the plates on the table, he didn't even bother to douse his in lemon juice, as he knew he wouldn't be eating it. 

"Tsukki, we need to talk."

"Why," he asked, eyes boring into Yamaguchi's soul. Yamaguchi expected this, knowing that Tsukki got defensive when he lied.

"Akkashi and Bokuto approached me a couple days ago, and told me about you and Kuroo," Yamaguchi said starring down at his plate. He looked up to see Tsukki tense and shocked.

"What about us," he spoke with venom in his tone. Yamaguchi felt himself wince

"Please, don't play dumb," he said hugging himself, "it will only make this worse." Yamaguchi could see Tsukki deflating as he nodded.

"I'm sorry, it was once and it was after a fight-" "What did I just say about playing dumb Tukishima," Yamaguchi spoke, rage rising quickly.

"How long, and be honest," Yamaguchi said firmly. "About three months," Tsukki said looking to the side

Yamaguchi could feel his world collapsing. He was normally a glass half full person, but right now, he couldn't think about how 'At least it wasn't a year' or 'At least he didn't fake our whole relationship.' He just couldn't. Tsukki went that long lying to him, deceiving him about where he was and who he was with. Hell, lying to other people about it. Yamaguchi was patient, but he couldn't help but feel all the rage and frustration build up.

"Have you been lying to Kuroo?" Yamaguchi said, getting to the main concern of the conversation.

"He... thinks that you and I broke up," Tsukki said in a guilty tone. 

That was it for Yamaguchi. Did he not have the decency to tell his lover about the fact that he was cheating. He couldn't even do that. Yamaguchi stood up, knocking over the chair he was sitting in. He wanted to scream and yell and cry, but, everything came rushing. He thought that he wasn't good enough. Was he too broken? Was he not good enough? He paid the bills, he gave affection, he listened to and interacted in conversations!

"Tadashi?" Tsukki walked over to him, placing a hand on his arm. Yamaguchi shoved the hand away, backing up.

"DON'T TOUCH ME," he yelled, backing up to the door. Tsukki's eyes went wide as he backed up. Yamaguchi tried desperately to contain his sobs and failed. He could feel the hot tears dripping down his face and falling on his shirt. Tsukki started to realized that something was not really right. Therefor, he picked his phone up from the table, keeping his eyes on Yamaguchi. He didn't know who to dial, as most of the people he could call would kill him on the spot. Soon enough he called Akkashi, praying that he could calm Yamaguchi down in the meantime. He got the response of "onw" and set his phone down.

"Do you need me to leave the room?" Tsukki asked trying not to make the situation worse.

"No," he said, furry burning in his eyes "I'll do it myself."

Uttering those words, he tore the door open, and ran out into the freezing cold.


	2. Emerald

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yamaguchi is now dealing with more issues than he probably should coming right out of a break-up... But, shits tough, move on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another one... Whoop.

Yamaguchi stood up, away from the cold bakery steps. He's had his mental breakdown, now it's time to move on. As a defense mechanism, he started thinking about other things involving the break-up. Would he move or would he kick Tsukki out? He and Tsukki shared the rent, and neither of them truthfully owned the apartment. But adding to the assholery that is Tsukkishima Kei, he was now paying only a quarter of the rent. He had given the excuse that he wasn't making enough money and that his boss cut his salary, but knowing all of the things that he'd lied about, Yamaguchi didn't know what to believe.

So, say he had to move out. He wasn't making enough money as a writer to buy an entirely new apartment. Sure, if you were good at it, writing paid quite nicely. But, he didn't want to think about the rundown apartment he'd have to rent in order to get something in his price range. He could stay with Suga and Diachi, but he really didn't want to bother them. Although, if he did move out, they'd most likely force him into the guest room. And there's the other option of kicking Tsukki out. Now, Yamaguchi isn't unreasonable. He knows that Tsukki most likely wouldn't have a place to go, and couldn't buy a brand new studio. So, the most reasonable option here was to calm down, go back to his apartment and break it off with Tsukki. Then, Tsukki could stay until he had enough money to move out. That seemed like the most logical plan, and if Yamaguchi just locked himself in his room when Tsukki was there, it would be fine. As said before, Yamaguchi didn't want to break off relationships that he didn't have to. Sure, Tsukki had lost his trust six ways to hell, but he was still Yamaguchi's best friend for ten years. 

Speaking of bridges, he would have to tell Kuroo. So, doing just that, he pulled out his half battery phone and sent a text.

Guchi Man~  
Hey, I wanted to let you know that Tsukki and I hadn't broken up when you guys got involved. He didn't tell you and for that, I am truthfully sorry.

Sent 10:37

Lifting his head up from his phone, he realized he was walking through the rich side of town. He could see boutiques and jewelry stores stacked upon each other. One specifically jumped out at him. It was where he had bought the rings. He was planning to propose this coming spring when they went up to Tokyo for Tsukki's vacation. Tsukki's vacation days where very sparing and used very wisely. They were planning to go up for a week and rent a nice hotel. And although it may sound silly, they were going to spend a day at Tokyo Disney!!! That was where Yamaguchi was gonna propose... though that wouldn't be happening now, he guessed. He bought the rings to suit each of them. Tsukki's was a simple gold band with a ivy pattern carved in. Yamaguchi's was the same, except his had a beautiful emerald colored gem sitting in the middle. He didn't know what he was gonna do with those either. He had spent a hell of a lot of money on them (another reason why he couldn't buy a whole new apartment) and couldn't return them. 

As he walked by the store, he saw a shadow move on the side of the building leading into the alleyway. Yamaguchi was very observant, and realized that the security cameras that surrounded the building, where turned off. Strange. The shadow soon showed itself to be a person wearing a dark hoodie and carrying a heavy looking backpack. Even more strange. Yamaguchi was running low on a will to live, and was very reckless in those moments. He decided to follow the hooded figure. Walking into the slim alleyway away from the bright street, Yamaguchi saw that the stranger looked incredibly calm. In the case that the stranger was doing nothing but jumping roofs, Yamaguchi would leave them alone. But Yamaguchi had a gut feeling, and his gut feelings were rarely wrong.

At this point, the stranger new they were being followed, as they picked up the already fast pace. Yamaguchi was stubborn and matched the speed, at that point going faster in order to catch up. Now in a full blown run, the unknown person tried to lose Yamaguchi in the maze-like alleyways. Yamaguchi felt himself hasten, keeping his eyes on the stranger. Soon enough, the paths that he was following became unfamiliar, but still, he kept on chasing. He could feel the blood pumping through his veins, heart beating at a fast pace. Oddly, in that moment, Yamaguchi felt a peek of freedom. There chasing someone, probably risking his life for stupid moral compass. 

Then, the stranger stopped. Yamaguchi came to a slow, seeing the dead end to the grim, dumpster filled ally.

"Shit," Yamaguchi heard a rusty voice say. Making his final decision, he rushed to the hooded figure, pinning them to the brick wall.

"Put back what you stole, and we can go our separate ways," Yamaguchi said panting. He heard a wheeze as the man relaxed in his hold. As he got a closer look at the guy, he could see bleached blonde hair, as well as an ungodly amount or piercings. He wondered how many of those piercings the man gave to himself. He looked closer into the playful brown eyes and saw smile lines and dimples as the man laughed.

And what are you gonna do, bello," the man said with a smirk. Yamaguchi thought back to all the boxing classes he had taken, as well as the beat up punching bag that he had to replace soon.

"You wanna find out?" Yamaguchi asked, an unhinged smile spreading on his face. He felt the man tensing in his arms, eyes widening. Yamaguchi's smile only got wider, feeling that thrill once again. 

"Sure," The man said with a purr. Flipping Yamaguchi against the wall. "Your move, bello,"

Yamaguchi went on the defensive, preparing himself for a fight. He looked up at the devilish man, and saw the prideful look of a winner. What a basic mistake.

Yamaguchi head butted the man, stunning him. Stunning him gave Yamaguchi just enough time to sweep the thin legs of the man forcing him to the harsh gravel underneath them proceeding to put the man into a straddle, holding his arms above his head. See, people made a misjudgment when it came to Yamaguchi. They assumed that he was weak due to his thin frame. And about four years ago, they would have been right. But after realising that the internet existed, as well as online courses, he got much better at hand to hand combat.

He saw the panic in the blonde mans pretty eyes. Yamaguchi kept his hold on the mans struggling wrists, prying the bag off of the man's broad shoulders. Wrestling the bag off, he threw it across the alley.

"The way we're going to do this is simple," Yamaguchi spoke threateningly, "I'm going to take back whatever you stole, and you're going to go home and hopefully think about your actions."

Yamaguchi said,tightening his hold on his hips. The blonde man laughs, a cynical look bleeding through his smirk. "What, am I a toddler going to time out?"

"Considering you're taking the easy way out, your as good as a toddler," Yamaguchi snarled, nodding to the bag. Yamaguchi knew that the things he was saying most likely had no effect on the thief, he might as well try. Luckily, he was working on fixing some of the Christmas lights that fell in his apartment before the whole break-up debacle, so there where some large zip-ties in his back pocket. Lucky. Taking the man's pale wrists and shuffling them into a comfortable position, he zipped the wrists into place.

He got off the man and shuffled through his pockets, pulling out anything that he could use to his advantage. He pulled several sizes of lock picks, a pack of bubble gum, and a swiss army knife. The blade hadn't been used in a while, and had been well taken care of.

Pulling himself off of the warm body, he pulled the tall man up with him with much resistance. Keeping the collar of the black, wool, sweater grasped in his hands, he walked over to the hefty backpack. Pulling it over his shoulder, he looked around, trying to find anything familiar. Seeing the backs of some of the small stores that were fairly close to the bakery he had gotten his cookies from.

"Good! We're close to the jewelry store," He said with a bright smile, dragging the man behind him as he started walking. He saw the baffled stair he was getting from behind him.

"You... are insane," He said, following the peppy greenhead to the store fronts.

"Why do yo say that?" Yamaguchi asked innocently, furrowing his brows as he looked at the store fronts. 

"You just chased a stranger down at least three blocks worth of ally's, to then push him into a pin hold and force him to give you a bag that had expensive jewels inside," He said counting off from his fingers. "Plus I don't think you're even letting the police know about this, as well as letting me go afterwards." 

"So, yeah, I think you're a little batshit," He said exasperated. Yamaguchi chuckled as he reached the store front of the jewelry store. 

"Did you get in from the roof?" He asked with a quizzical voice. "No, there's a back door that should be unlocked," he said in defeat. Making there way around the building, he saw the opened door, as well as the turned off cameras. Carefully walking through the door, he noticed the empty glass cases and looked at the backpack. Hooking his arms through the cuffed mans.

"Let's see..." Yamaguchi hummed rifling through the bag in order to find the gems and put them back. Reaching in he passed a laptop, a pack of cigarettes, some questionable looking snacks, and finally, a bag of jewels. He walked over to one of the displays and placed the small snack bag on top.

"That all of them?" Yamaguchi asked.

"Yep," he said, popping the P. 

And just like earlier, the blonde was pushed up against a polished granite wall. He could feel Yamaguchi's body pressed up to his. Two arms where planted up by his head, caging him against Yamaguchi's lean body.

"I have had a really rough week, so I wouldn't suggest lying to me," Yamaguchi spoke in a hushed tone. He raised his warm hand up to the man's cheek, sliding it across his face, slowly climbing up passed his jawline to his pierced ears. He gently plucked the glistening diamond earing out of his ear.

"And I wouldn't think of stealing again," he said backing up from the astonished man. Gently placing the small earing onto the bag, he pulled the stranger away from the building and out towards the back of the building.

"This is where we part ways, huh," Yamaguchi said, a tired look overcoming his face.

"Apparently, Bello," The blonde said.

"Before I let you go, can I get your name?" Yamaguchi asked, intending no harm. The man hesitated before answering.

"Terushima." He said curtly.

"Terushima... I like it!" Yamaguchi said with a sweet smile. "Terushima, try not to take the easy way out, okay?"

"... I'll try Bello."

And then the zip ties where takin off, and they parted ways....


	3. Socked

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo finds out. Tsukki never learns.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm actually pretty proud of this one! Don't worry, Tsukki is gonna get an explanation soon. But for right now, enjoy my panic of if I'm making Kuroo a love interest or not :p

Kuroo was having a great day. He went to the farmers market to get ingredients for the pasta he had been planning for a week and a half. He had picked up some Advil so he could get to sleep before four a.m. As he waited in the Walgreens line, he got a text from his old high school friend Daichi.

They never really talked unless they were planning social events with their group. Well, after they messed around a bit in high school, they were awkward around each other. Being around Suga and Daichi however, was some of the funniest shit Kuroo had done. At the end of a nice night in a bar, he had been named the mistress as the laughed their way out of the building. He smiled thinking about the memory. He unlocked his phone to see his home screen, a picture of Tsukkishima in his cute dino onesie. 

The Husband  
Hey... how are you doing?

sent 5:42

The Mistress  
I am doing well! Picked up some sleeping   
medicine and groceries.

sent 5:44

The Husband  
Okay.

sent 5:45

Kuroo found this odd. Daichi was a polite person when it came to talking. This seemed a bit curt, as well as the fact that it was quite random. Kuroo thought something might have happened to Tsukkishima, because that was really the only thing they had in common.

The Mistress  
Is everything okay?

sent 5:47

The Husband   
Not really, but it will be okay.

sent 5:49

Before Kuroo could send anything back, his attention was drawn to the beckoning cashier. He would have to ask Daichi what was happening. It did not sound good. He took the receipt from the cashier and grabbed his bag. As he was walking out to his car, he passed a blonde guy with a hoodie and some ripped jeans. Piercing filled his face, and his brown eyes were filled with a look of bright determination. Kuroo almost bumped into him, but the guy shifted out of his way before they could collide. 

"Sorry about that," Kuroo said, trying to be sincere. The man looks up at him, waking up from whatever trance he was in.

"Nah, you're fine," he said in a relaxed tone. Even with his relaxed tone, he looked as though he wanted to be out of the conversation as soon as possible.

"Well, I'll leave you to your day," Kuroo said, walking to his car. 

"Oh, while you were in there, did you see if there were cigarettes in there," he questioned.

"It is a Walgreens. I'd be surprised if there wasn't any," Kuroo said with a teasing smile. The blonde man smirked at Kuroo’s answer.

"Yeah, stupid question," he said, walking into the Walgreens.

Not one of the strangest interactions Kuroo had ever had, but still made it on the list. As he got into his small car, he checked his phone one last time. He didn't see anything from Daichi but did see a text from Tsukkishima. 

Lutiem Vanadiem  
I'll see you tonight at eleven.

sent 6:07

Sleepy chicken  
That's a little late for dinner.

sent 6:10

Lutiem Vanadiem  
I know, I have a late shift tonight.

sent 6:11

Sleepy chicken  
Can we have it at your place tonight? You have a bigger kitchen lol 

sent 6:12

Lutiem Vanadiem   
No. Yamaguchi is moving the last of his stuff out. It would be awkward.

sent 6:12

Kuroo is not an idiot. Tsukkishima had been saying the same thing for the last week every time he wanted to go over to his place. "Yamaguchi's home packing, you'll be uncomfortable." or "He's having friends over for dinner." It got to the point where Kuroo could not ignore it. Tsukishima had a silver tongue when it came to lying and manipulating, and you could only really tell if you had known him long enough to find his tells. Kuroo had known him since high school and knew something was wrong. Plus, the last time he had met Yamaguchi for their weekly horror movie mocking session, Yamaguchi said absolutely nothing about the break-up. Come to think of it, none of their friends had either. He thought it was because it was a sore topic all around, but absolutely NO ONE was talking about it. Plus, Tsukkishima never wanted to make their relationship public. Once Kuroo started pondering it, he realized something was really wrong. Looking back at his phone, he shot a text to Tsukkishima, and started driving.

Sleepy chicken  
I need to ask you some stuff when you come over.

sent 6:14

As he drove home, Kuroo felt his anxieties swell up in his chest. Why was Tsukkishima being shady? Why was Yamaguchi talking to him like everything was completely normal? And the fact that something was happening with Daichi didn't quell those worries at all...

After working in his apartment for several hours, he walked over to the kitchen at around ten thirty. He started boiling the water for the pasta and pulled out a beautiful big pan that he had gotten from Yamaguchi on his birthday. Yamaguchi liked to spoil people whenever he could, so birthdays were his godsend. Along with the pan, he had gotten a periodic table mouse pad, and a pair of nice sport shoes. He almost started crying when Yams pulled out the sweetest poem that Kuroo had ever received about friendship and how he was such a loyal friend.  
Whenever Kuroo needed a boost of moral, he would pull the poem out of his drawer and read it. He fried up some sausage to put in the sauce, and then put a batch of garlic bread in the oven. Italian food had always been one of his weaknesses, so he learned a lot of recipes. Some of his fondest memories in high school was when he and his mom would dance around the kitchen, occasionally stirring the sauce or flipping meat. He and his mother had always been close, as his father really was not in the picture. Sure, he would call on birthdays and check on school every once in a while, but his mother was the one who raised him.

On the topic of his mother, he walked to his calendar to see if there was a weekend that he and Tsukkishima could visit her. Kuroo made a mean creaser salad, but his mom is truly a master at cooking. As he walked to the calendar, he passed the old clock his grandma gave him before passing, saying that it would bring him luck and peace. Reading the time as 10:35, he made some marks on his calendar as he felt a buzz in his pocket. As he took his phone out, he saw a message from Yamaguchi.

For the third time that day, Kuroo got a bad feeling. Yamaguchi tried to avoid texting whenever he could as it made him uncomfortable. Not being able to hear or see someone’s real reactions and having to hope that they mean what they say was anxiety inducing. Not only that, but he rarely texted Kuroo as they liked hearing each other’s voice.  
As he unlocked his phone, he read his most recent notification.

Guchi man~  
Hey, I wanted to let you know that Tsukki and I hadn’t broken up when you got involved. He didn’t tell you, and for that I am truthfully sorry.

Huh.  
That bad feeling was right after all. He felt like his world was shattering, and every piece that broke cut him. He almost thought he was bleeding, until he raised his hand to his cheek and found that it was not blood that was falling down his face, but rather tears. He study’s chemistry for fucks sake! He should know that nothing was hurting him, physically at least. It felt like it had only been minutes to him, processing what that text had sent. But apparently it had been thirty minutes, because he heard a hesitant knock at the apartment door.

Shit. That was Tsukkishima knocking on his door, scurrying to find an apology to him. Kuroo wasn’t in control of his movements when he walked to the door. He didn’t want to open it, no, he wanted to be in bed and eat ice cream until he overworked himself in the gym again. He felt his heavy steps to the door, feeling the cold handle in the below thirty weather.  
As he turned the knob and opened the door, he saw a tired looking Tsukkishima. Tsukkishima took one look at his tear-stricken face, and felt tears flow to his own eyes. Kuroo felt like he wanted to vomit, cry, and scream. But he only stepped aside, letting Tsukki into his flat. He had questions, and he didn’t want to make a scene in the outdoor hallway. 

“I… want to explain everything from the beginning, and then I’ll leave you alone,” Tsukkishima spoke in a quite tone, knowing that if he spoke any louder, he would break down. Kuroo had gotten to the rage point of the five stages of grief. He wanted so badly to strangle Tsukkishima. The lying, the fake words, the hurt, everything he had done. However, Kuroo steeled himself as to not let Tsukkishima win.

He walked to the couch and sat down, pulling a blanket over his lap. Tsukkishima sat down on the leather couch placing his backpack down by his feet. 

“I want to start off by saying that I never once faked my love for you,” Tsukkishima said, hands folded in his lap.

“Then why did you feel the need to cheat rather then break it off,” Kuroo hissed. Tsukkishima winced at this. 

“I loved Yamaguchi; he was everything to me. He and I were doing so well, and then you came back into the picture,” he spoke, trying to justify himself. 

“Is it my fault that you cheated on your boyfriend of five years because of some high school crush?” Kuroo asked. Then it hit him.

“Fuck, Yamaguchi!” Kuroo jumped up from the couch in a state of panic. He had been so caught up in his own shit, he forgot that Yamaguchi was probably feeling the same grief tenfold. Not only that, but Yamaguchi had the decency to tell Kuroo about everything that happened. He picked up his old phone to dial Yamaguchi’s number.  
“Fuck c’mon pick up,” he spoke desperately.

“He won’t answer. He left the apartment after he confronted me. I don’t know where he is, but he hasn’t answered any of my calls,”   
Kuroo felt as though he was a tapestry being torn in half. The blade slicing every thread of forgiveness he had. Throughout the conversation he could feel those strings being torn and ripped. He thought he had more of his tapestry left. But if felt as though he had snapped. All of the threads had been mangled and cut. And what broke through that tapestry, was an immeasurable anger.  
Kuroo walked to Tsukkishima and his steps were much calmer than when he let Tsukkishima in. Rather than feeling as though he was someone else, he knew everything he was doing and who he was. And he knew that he wouldn’t regret his choices.  
A punch struck across Tsukkishima’s face, throwing him off the couch and onto the floor. Kuroo knew that his hand had bruised, but at that moment, he didn’t really care. All he could think of was Yamaguchi, heartbroken and cold walking around the dark streets. 

“You’re a fuckin idiot,” Kuroo said as he grabbed his coat. He walked over to the dreaded door and wrapped his hand around the handle.

“You know where the med kit is,” he said. 

And for the second time that night, the door was slammed, and Tsukkishima was alone.


	4. Forgiveness isn't needed.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Im sorry this took so long :p

Yamaguchi felt the cold wind against his red face. He couldn’t check his phone, as it was now on thirteen percent, and he still needed a map to get home. There was no way in hell he was goanna text his friends for a ride, as he would be forced to stay at someone else’s house, and right now, all he wanted was to fall into a comma in his mountain of blankets at home. If anything, else was certain in the break-up, it was that he was taking the bed. He was walking on sore feet as he made his way back to the bakery. From there, he could make his way home. The walk was going to take about twenty minutes, but that wasn’t awful.

As he made his way over the worn-down concrete, he saw the bright lights of a motorcycle facing him from his peripheral view. As he looked up, he saw the loud red beauty Kuroo had boughten when he had gotten out of school. The bike came to a full stop, and as quickly (and safely) as he could, he parked. Tearing the helmet off his head and placing it on his seat, he ran over and pulled Yamaguchi into the tightest hug he felt in a while.  
“I’m so sorry,” Kuroo spoke softly while he encased Yamaguchi. Yamaguchi put his arms around Kuroo, holding onto him as his knees went weak. He might have been hurting more then he admitted.  
“I promise you, it is okay,” said Yamaguchi “You didn’t know.”  
As he felt Kuroo’s hold get tighter, he tried to get a footing.  
“Can I ride back with you?” he asked “I don’t think I can walk for another twenty minutes.”  
He was trying to lighten the situation, but they both knew that he was tired as all hell, and probably couldn’t walk another block.  
“I have a helmet in the back compartment,” Kuroo said while taking Yamaguchi’s arm over his shoulder. 

Yamaguchi didn’t get great sleep. Tsukki had known from childhood that Yamaguchi was an insomniac, but Kuroo only found out recently. It had gotten better though! When Yamaguchi wasn’t thinking about how to break the news that he knew about his best friend of ten years’ cheating, he got a good five hours. He woke up early to exercise or write, and then passed out on the couch if he needed to.He didn’t sleep for more than an hour last night. And he was starting to feel the effects. His eyes were losing there light as he nudged into Kuroo. 

“I’m sorry frecs, but you need to stay awake for me,” Kuroo said as he seated Yamaguchi on the motorcycle.  
“But I don’t want to… want to sleep for a long time,” he said in a weak tone. Kuroo felt his heart break for the tiny man in his arms. How could someone do anything to this tiny piece of sunshine, to bright for mortals to see. That must have been what Tsukki had done. He was blinded by kindness and unconditional love, so he sought out a darkened soul to see again. That must be it. Right?  
As Kuroo set Yamaguchi’s arms around his waist, he heard a small mumbling by his ear.  
“So warm… real soft,” Yamaguchi said, eyes continuing to droop.  
“Stay awake, please?” Kuroo said, placing the helmet upon Yamaguchi’s head.  
“Okay… okay,” he said, prying his eyes open. Kuroo chuckled in a solemn voice.  
As they drove on the empty roads, Kuroo felt Yamaguchi’s arms loosen every once and a while and he must remind him to stay awake. Most of the lights had gone out by now, it being two a.m. Kuroo drove to Yamaguchi’s apartment, trying to prep himself for the back pain that was brought with sleeping on the couch. He didn’t want to leave Yamaguchi alone while he dealt with things, and they didn’t have a guest bedroom. He pulled into the small apartment complex, punching in the passcode that he had so lovingly memorized. As soon as he parked, Yamaguchi’s arms went slack and with his head leaning against Kuroo’s back, he passed out.  
“Oh frecs, you didn’t deserve this,” he mumbled as he picked the man up and shifted him into a piggyback position. Yamaguchi, although deadly, was quite light. He was still a struggle to carry up three stories, but they got to the apartment door eventually. Putting his hand in the green head’s pockets, he found a key with the number twelve on it. Struggling to pull the keys out of his pocket, something shiny and silver drops along with them. He looked closer to see different sized lock picks, as well as a stick of bubble gum. The bubble gum was understandable, but what did Yamaguchi need with lock picks. He did look a little winded when Kuroo found him on the street, but he was really hoping that nothing illegal happened.  
When walking through the dark apartment, he saw that nothing in the apartment was boxed. Proving that fact was the … breakfast? On the dining table. Kuroo wouldn’t say that crepes are a breakfast food, but Yamaguchi survived off leftovers and microwavable meals. He was a writer after all. Still, seeing nothing moved and the apartment being well lived in made Kuroo’s rage bubble like a lava pit.  
‘No. I can’t get angry right now. Not with him here.’  
Kuroo took Yamaguchi to his room, seeing the comfortable bed cold and rumpled. He placed Yamaguchi on the bed, pulling the covers up to his collar. God it was tempting to hop in bed with the warm man that felt like sunshine and just cuddle. But, Kuroo had self-control, and refused to do this when Yamaguchi wasn’t awake. He walked out of the room, looking back to see Yamaguchi curling into a ball underneath the covers. Smiling fondly, he walked out through the dim hal.  
Taking off his jacket, he grabbed his phone and opened his chat.

‘Dumbasses that walk with gods’

Science bastard  
I found him. He’s passed out in his apartment and I’m staying on the couch.  
Sent 2:45

Pretty Stripper  
Oh, thank god.  
Sent 2:53

The Himbo  
Yay! We’re heading back to our place.

Dino  
Kuroo, can I stay at your apartment for the night?

Science bastard  
Sure, whatever, just don’t ruin anything.

Kuroo threw his phone on the carpeted floor and fell on the couch. With all that had happened, he felt the adrenaline slip out of his body and he mellowed against cold fabric.

A couple hours later, Kuroo was woken up by the scent of apples and bacon.  
“If that’s what I think it is, I’m selling my soul to you,” Kuroo spoke hoarsely. He heard a chuckle from behind the couch and felt himself give the smallest of smiles.  
“It is, and I’m not a demon, so please don’t sell your soul anytime soon.”  
A plate was set on the table in front of the couch by a tan, freckled, hand. On top of the plate, there was a pile of bacon as well as two fluffy pancakes. Beside the plate, a small bowl of applesauce.

“I shouldn’t, but I’m supporting your weird habits,” Yamaguchi said, setting his own plate down. Kuroo happily dug into the bacon, eating his fill.  
“This is my thank you for getting me home last night,” Yamaguchi said as Kuroo poured the applesauce onto the pancakes. Yamaguchi faked a hurl as he sat down next to Kuroo.  
“First of all, my habits are in no way weird,” he said as he stuffed his mouth with pancake “and second there is no need to thank me for last night, it’s what any good person would have done.” Yamaguchi leaned his head on Kuroo’s shoulder, letting out a deep sigh.

“We are going to have to talk about it at some point,” Yamaguchi said in an exasperated tone. Kuroo could feel his own face shift into one of distress. Putting the plate down, he tried to formulate words and explanations whilst not crying.  
“Yams, I am so sorry about what I did with Tsukki, and I promise you I didn’t know. I would never hurt you in that way, and I understand if you can’t trust me, but please don’t hate me,” Kuroo spoke, holding Yamaguchi’s hands in his own to give some semblance of comfort.  
“Kuroo, you and I both know that I couldn’t blame you, even if I tried. You have always been there for me, and I know that what happened was Tsukki’s fault, not yours.”  
Kuroo could feel himself finally breathe again. He pulled Yamaguchi into the tightest hug, refusing to let go until he felt he got his point across. In the bright, plant filled apartment, Kuroo was brought to peace by the green haired man.

As they pulled away from the hug, Yamaguchi's face had tears running down it.

"I don't know what to do about him," Yamaguchi quietly sobbed out. "I don't want to cut him out of my life, but I don't want him here." Kuroo, being the problem solver he was, immediately put his brain to work. Kuroo didn't want Tsukkishima staying with him. He wasn't confident that he wouldn't punch the blonde every time he saw him. And he sure as hell wasn't staying with Yamaguchi, so where did that give him.

Ah yes, the two people that didn't despise him.

"We can call Akaashi and Bokuto and see if Tsukkishima can room with them. That way you still have your apartment and Tsukkishima can find a new one. Or you can stay with me and find something new, start a new chapter," Kuroo said, watching Yamaguchi's reaction.

Yamaguchi looked around the apartment, carefully looking at each picture frame, plant, book, and poster. He saw the corkboard of pictures that served as his ideas, as well as the stack of papers containing his next project. He felt the tears streaming down his face as the sunshine from the porch caressed his freckle kissed skin. He remembered the times when he and Tsukki would cuddle on the couch while watching documentaries and yelling at horror films. Sitting at the dining table while Tsukki talked about a case he was passionate about. Writing on his laptop while he waited for Tsukki to come home. Crying himself to sleep on the nights where he felt worthless.  
He knew that the apartment would have a lot of aches and memories, but it was still his home. Not Tsukki's, not Suga's, his. 

"Tsukki can stay with them if there okay with that, but i'm not leaving here," he said, fondness rolling off of his tongue like velvet, "Not yet."


	5. The Thief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Terushima forms a plan. Yamaguchi starts the painful process of healing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, my indecisive ass can't decide if it wants Kuroo as a love interest. However, they are very cute to wright.

Terushima was stumped. He was still trying to figure out what the hell had happened at that jewelry store. Not only had he gotten chased and subdued by a greenheaded maniac, he hadn’t even gotten away with the jewelry. He really thought that he could at the very least take the one that was on his ear, but no. Pretty freckled bastard saw right through him and took the earring. He felt himself blush, remembering how the hand slid across his cheek. He watched the news reports, he saw people speculate what happened, why none of the jewelry was taken and why the alarms were off. He hadn’t been caught by any form of government since he was thirteen. And yet, this motherfucker.

Terushima sighed as the cigarette left his chapped lips. He was worked up over a robbery that had been a bust and he needed to get over it. He would have to go back to pickpocketing for a good month before he could think about pulling off another stunt like that. Too many crimes happen in a row, it’ll be more than just beat cops chasing him.

Even with distracting himself through picking new places to hunt, his mind just kept going back to the man that caught him. The pretty brown eyes full of a hollow determination. Now that Terushima was thinking about it, he didn’t know where the freckled kid had ended up. No, where Yamaguchi had ended up. When someone makes that kind of impression, you don’t really forget them. If that kid had chased him down at least five blocks, who knows what other criminals he ran after in the night.

Terushima sat on the windowsill in his low class apartment. He wasn’t homeless, not yet at least. That heist was supposed to take care of his rent for the next couple of months, but that didn’t work out and he didn’t have any savings. He was good, but not good enough to pickpocket a whole months worth of rent. And then he felt the lightbulb.

Yamaguchi had stopped his break in. So it would be karma if he went and stole a rent's worth of objects, right? He had a good two hundred on him, so he wasn’t gonna steal that much. But first, he needed to know his victim. He walked over to the old laptop that he had been holding on to for about six years? He remembers being so proud the day he bought it. But, that was a story for another day. As he opened up his browser, he searched the name that had been given to him. Yamaguchi Tadashi. What came up surprised him. A renowned author who made kids books and graphic novels at the young age of twenty three. He and his boyfriend, Tsukkishima Kei, had known each other since childhood, and were expected to get married soon by the public. There wasn’t an address listed (obviously), but, he was very good at digging up information. It’s how he pulled off pretty much all of his heists.

“If I was a writer, where would I be?” 

He started looking through apartment sales in order to find middle class studios. If Terushima had to make a guess, he would say that with the income that Yamaguchi and his boytoy make, he would be able to rent a nice, uptown studio. From how Yamaguchi looked the last time they saw each other, Terushima could tell that he was tired. He was also stressed and probably more aggressive than normal which meant that either something traumatic was happening, or he was working overtime. With a little bit of searching, he narrowed it down to about four different complexes. With a little bit of illegal hacking and a very good password guesser, he found Yamaguchi Tadashi and Tsukkishima Kei.

“Bingo”

He pulled up the file of information that held all the information he needed. Soon enough, he had made a full plan. The boytoy, as he had been named, was arriving home later and later on the security cameras, so the deed would have to be done at a time when Yamaguchi was out of the house. 

Great. Now he was going to have to sift through hours of information to see Yamaguchi’s patterns. With the writer staying home in order to work, he didn’t have a specific time that he would leave. Time to get some popcorn…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Yamaguchi sneezed into the soft tissue from the box of kleenex.

“You shouldn’t have been out that late,” Kuroo’s voice sang from the living room. 

“Shut up,” Yamaguchi said in a shy voice. 

“Kay, so I was thinking,” Kuroo started, “I don’t want to focus on my own love life, and I’m guessing that you don’t want to either, so we should watch other people’s love life?”

Yamaguchi walked into the living room from the kitchen to see a reality dating show. 

“Is there gaslighting in this season?” Yamaguchi asked, intrigued.

“My informants, Suga and Oikawa, say yes,” Kuroo said, lounging on the couch.

“Hell yeah, I need a healthy way to get angry,” Yamaguchi said, setting a popcorn bowl down and launching himself onto the couch. Yamaguchi rarely watched reality shows, but when he did, it was quite entertaining. As they started to watch, he almost fell asleep as one of the mucleheads talked about his good looks, but snapped awake when he heard a banging at the door. Kuroo lifted his head up in alarm as he woke from his drowse.

“Is anyone supposed to be here,” Kuroo asked as the banging got louder. “No?” Yamaguchi responded as he got off of the couch. 

“I’m coming!” he yelled into the entry hallway. He walked to the red door, worried to see who was on the other side. As he opened the door, he felt the glare piercing through his skull before he heard the berating.

“And he didn’t even tell us where he was,” Oikawa said, finishing his sentence as the door opened. Suga burst through the door and dragged Yamaguchi back over to the couch. Yamaguchi could see Iwaizumi and Daichi following them. Kuroo saw the angry pair, and immediately stood up.

“Okay, well, I’m glad you made it home safe, but I think I forgot an apointme-” “Sit your ass down Kuroo,” Suga interrupted. Kuroo knew better than to argue, and sat back down on the beat up couch.

“I was going to let you guys know, I was just too tired and my phone was close to dead-” “Yamaguchi, you could have asked for a place to stay or at least a ride,” Oikawa said, concerned rather than angry.

“You know that not all people are good people, especially at night,” Oikawa continued.

“Trust me, I had a run in with a guy, I can defend myself,” Yamaguchi said, getting off the couch and walking to the bar.

“Excuse me?”

Remember that feeling Yamaguchi talked about when he broke the news to Suga about Tsukki? Double that, and direct all of it to Yamaguchi. He could feel himself getting pale and looked to Kuroo for help, but he seemed angry, as well as lost in thought.

“‘What kind of run in are we talking about?” Iwaizumi, the only sane person, asked.

“He was stealing from apartment trash cans and picked a fight with me, I scared him off and gave him some food money.” That wasn’t an entire lie. Yamaguchi did give the guy money, they just didn’t get into a fight about it. He had a feeling Suga would never let him leave the apartment if he told the truth.

Daichi let out the breath he had been holding. “Suga, it’s okay, that's a fairly common thing to happen and Yamaguchi knows how to defend himself.”

“I learned from the best!” Yamaguchi said, looking pointedly at Daichi. Suga took a deep breath in, let it out and proceeded to walk to Yamaguchi. Before Yamaguchi even had the chance to get scared, Suga had pulled him into a tight hug.

“You can tell us these things Yams,” he said into Yamaguchi's shoulder, “you aren't a burden and you don’t have to handle everything by yourself.”

“I know, and I should have called someone, but I didn’t think it was a big deal,” Yamaguchi said, breaking the hug and looking down. He then looked over to Kuroo, who was biting his lip, deep in thought. He started walking over to him, his steps light and quick. He pulled Kuroo into a deep hug, throwing his arms over Kuroo’s broad shoulders. Like most of the relationship between Kuroo and Yamaguchi, words weren't needed to express feelings. Yamaguchi hugged tighter, trying to tell Kuroo he was sorry. Soon enough, Kuroo’s body relaxed, and wrapped his long arms around Yamaguchi. Kuroo didn’t want to break the hug as he smelled the peach shampoo and vanilla extract that surrounded Yamaguchi. However, he let Yamaguchi let go and looked over at the T.V. 

“We were watching that show that you recommended, and I can say that it is better than therapy,” Kuroo said. Oikawa immediately grabbed Iwaizumi's hand and lept to the couch.

“We’re free, so we’ll chill here for a while,” Oikawa said, stealing popcorn from the bowl Yamaguchi made. Suga walked over slowly and sat next to Oikawa, Daichi following close behind. 

“It’s a saturday and I don’t have to grade papers until tomorrow,” he said with a sweet smile. 

Yamaguchi, realizing that he was outnumbered, grabbed Kuroo’s rough hand and dragged him to the couch. He sat himself on Kuroo’s lap, as there was no more space on the warm couch. He pulled out one of his softest blankets and put it over his and Kuroo’s lap. He felt warm and safe. The world around him as well as his worries slowly disappeared, leaving only a feeling of comfort with his friends in the small apartment.


End file.
